Hello everyone. Lovely to...

Hello everyone. Lovely to be here. My name is Vanessa Roberts and I'm 52 living in Oxford, UK. I was diagnosed with HIV in 2014 following a routine blood test. I went straight on the meds and quickly became undetectable. Tracing back through my medical and sexual history, my consultant established that it's most likely that I contracted the virus back in 1983 when I was just 19. An unbelievable story I know, but it is my story. I have two adult children and two ex husbands, none of whom are HIV positive. I work as a grief counsellor, trainer and administrator for a charity and am completely open about my status. I feel very well supported by those around me and actually feel that my diagnosis has led me to become a better person, more tolerant, less judgemental and it has broadened my outlook on life, allowing me to live more in the moment. I'm dedicated to stamping out stigma, raising awareness and educating everyone I interact with about the realities of HIV. I recently appeared on a well known TV show in the UK talking about my story, what it means to be undetectable and the difficulties of stigma. It's great to be here!